


Twin Size Mattress

by kyotoma



Series: The Front Bottoms song prompts [1]
Category: Hat Films - Fandom, Yogscast
Genre: M/M, teenage angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-03-25
Packaged: 2018-05-29 00:49:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6352261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyotoma/pseuds/kyotoma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summer's coming to an end and Ross recounts what was the best and simultaneously the worst summer of his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Twin Size Mattress

**Author's Note:**

> So this is entirely based off the song 'Twin Size Mattress' by The Front Bottoms which is like one of my favourite songs and honestly just super fitting for a gay couple tbh. This is the first in a couple of The Front Bottoms song based one shots I'll be writing so I hope you enjoy :-)

Ross lay back in bed as the memories flooded through his mind as vivid as if he were dreaming. It was late August and summer was just coming to an end, the best summer of Ross’ entire life, simultaneously the worst. He couldn’t help but let the sadness grow in his chest as he thought about the months he had spent with his best friend, the boy now missing who hadn’t returned his texts in almost a month. The boy that had broken his heart.

How could he describe Alex Smith? There were no words that could possibly do him justice. He was like a lion living inside the wiry broke down frame of a boy, so fierce yet so gentle when it was called for. To top it all off, Smith had the most amazing smile Ross had ever seen, a smile that often lingered in his mind for hours after they had been together. 

It had started off quite calm, the calm before the storm as his mother would say. They had spent the first few days of summer together, playing video games in Ross’ room. Then it had turned into so much more, what seemed would be a boring summer changed into the most exciting of Ross’ life.  
It started with a drought, unusual but not unheard of for where they lived. They had been sitting by the lower than usual River when Smith had leant over,  
“You know how droughts end?” Smith’s eyes lit up and Ross shook his head, “With floods!” Smith giggled with delight at the thought. He looked over to Ross to check if his friend held the same excitement as he did. He was met with Ross’ concerned eyes.  
“Doesn’t it normally just turn to mud?” Ross thought aloud,  
“Oh…yeah. And you can’t swim…” Smith thought for a moment, suddenly lighting up again with an idea, “It’s okay! I’ll help you swim!” Ross couldn’t help but grin at Smith’s infectious excitement.

That was the day Smith had first kissed him, a kiss instantly returned. Every night became a sleepover, sometimes they’d snuggle under Ross’ covers in his house, others they would camp beside the river. The private kisses they shared became more frequent and filled with more feelings every day. Ross couldn’t help but to fall for his best friend.

The river was where they spent most of their time, as most people in town did in the summer. Together they made a tally of snakes they spotted, Smith being a fan of reptiles would write what they looked like an google it later, being able to identify each one just by looking as time progressed whereas Ross made a list of people they bit, that interesting him more.  
They also made a lot of friends beside the river, mixing with the other teens that went to the other schools who they had never had a chance to meet before, some of them turning into lifelong friends. One in particular stood out, a young man by the name of Chris Trott, Trott for short.

They had told him from the start about their relationship, trusting him immediately and making him part of their group from the word go. They spent most of their time with him after that, finding his sense of humour identical to theirs and becoming so close to him Ross worried Smith fancied him too. He would join them by the river most nights they stayed out there all night, the trio sitting up to talk about nonsense all night and going home to sleep during the day.

Ross thought about the warning signs he had missed, perhaps ignored being a better word. The way Smith would turn up shaking and upset sometimes. Ross would push it away and try to enjoy their days, conscious of the fact they were numbered. He ignored how some days Smith wouldn’t kiss him, turning his head away when Ross got close. Ross would laugh it off and tell himself it meant nothing. Telling himself there was an amount to take, he didn’t want to be clingy afterall but also reminding of all the reasons he wanted to take more.

Smith had his good days too, the days he seemed fine. The days he would pepper Ross’ face in soft kisses, from his forehead to his chin and Ross would giggle and let Smith’s affection drown out his worries as summer grow closer to an end.

One of Ross’ favourite days had been one of those days, one of the days Smith peppered his face in kisses. The day they walked upstream, all the way to the big lake at the end of the river that had become theirs. Trott had brought a couple bottles of vodka, having an older brother to buy it for him. They had drank the whole way along the river and by the time they reached the river they were drunk, falling over the grass and laughing at dumb jokes. Smith was the first to start stripping, crickets filling the silence of the pitch black nights. They had laughed and called him an idiot and asked what he was doing, to which he replied by jumping into the lake, butt naked, clothes mindlessly discarded all over the banks. Trott followed pursuit instantly and Ross laughed as he did too, being the last to jump in.  
The cold hit him instantly as he coughed and spluttered lake water out of his mouth. Somewhere near him he heard the giggles of Smith and Trott as they splashed each other with water and swam about but Ross tread the water where he was.  
“What’s the matter?” Smith had joked, laughing and splashing Ross with water.  
Ross replied by singing the Jaws theme song which had all three out of the water in seconds, heaving with laughter on the banks and calling Ross an asshole for ruining it.

The Jaws theme was stuck in Ross’ head on repeat for days after.

The end of summer was nearing closer every day and every day the sadness grew in Ross, knowing that when school started again everything would change. It would also be their last year at school, meaning next summer everyone would be busy with university.

It was the two weeks before school started back that things went bad. Another peaceful day of sitting by the river with Smith and Trott had ended with Ross walking Smith home. It being so close to the end of summer, his parents wanted him to try and get into a regular schedule again. Outside Smith’s house they stopped to say their goodbyes. Ross leant in and placed a soft kiss on Smith’s lips, like any other time Smith had walked Ross home. This time was different, Smith pulled back instantly,  
“Ross, no, God. Why did you do that?” Smith’s voice was full of concern and without another word or even a chance for Ross to reply he had darted up the driveway and into the house.

The next day Ross heard nothing. Not even a text from Smith. It had been the loneliest day of Ross’ entire summer, or so he thought.  
The next day was the same. Nothing.  
They day after that the radio silence began to drive him crazy, Smith hadn’t even replied to any of his texts. With Trott behind him as support, he found himself walking up the driveway to Smith’s house.

His mother opened the door, Ross had only met her once before. She scowled on seeing Ross, opening her mouth to speak before Ross had even formed the words in his mind.  
“Alex isn't here. Please don’t come here again.” She all but slammed the door closed, her tone filled with disgust.

It was another two days before Ross heard anything from Smith. He was playing video games alone when he heard the knock of the door, darting to answer it. He almost gasped in shock upon seeing Smith standing on his doorstep, expecting Trott instead. The only difference was Smith’s now shorter hair.

“Ross…I’m so sorry.” Smith broke down on the doorstep before being ushered inside and up to Ross’ room.

With a look that could have broken a heart on Smith’s face, he explained everything to Ross. The days of Smith’s uncomfortable behaviour adding up.  
His father had witnessed their kiss and questioned his son, forcing out of him that the relationship had been happening all summer, his family were disgusted. They had brought him to church the next day and prayed for him to change and when he told them he couldn’t they had cut his hair and sent him away.  
Ross’ anger built at hearing the details of Smith’s week.  
“You’re here now, you’re safe now. You can stay, right?” Ross begged, tears he would never shed forming in his eyes.  
“Hey man, I love you but no fucking way.” Smith’s reply was almost inaudible over what Ross imagined to be the sound of his own heart breaking, realising the possibility of losing his best friend.  
“I’m gonna go with the band, we’re gonna try and get some gigs. Make some money I guess,” Smith ran a hand through his non-existent hair. His face falling when his hand met the air where it should have been.  
“No…you can’t go. You can’t leave me Smith. Maybe I can come with you? I can shake a tambourine on stage or… I don’t know. When you sing I could sing harmonies. Anything.” Ross voice had turned to barely a whisper, pleading with Smith with every atom of his being.  
“No Ross. You can’t come.” Ross imagined Smith kissing his knuckles, “You need to stay here and go to school and go to university…and just be so much more…we all knew I would turn out like this anyway.” Smith delivered the punch. He stood, placing a final kiss to Ross’ forehead, he turned and left. Just like that, he was gone. And that was it, the last time he saw Smith.

Ross flung the covers of his bed back, opting to pace the room instead as it was apparent that his brain wasn’t going to sleep that night. As he paced he couldn’t help but wonder if he was cursed forever to sleep on a twin size mattress, never graduating up in size to add another. He knew that if that were the case, even his nightmares would have nightmares.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I just wanted to write some angsty stuff haha but I hate writing sad stuff at the same time hahaha, I'm so sorry. Thank you so much for reading!! My tumblr is why-brows.tumblr.com if anyone wants to drop me a message :-)


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